SINGAPORE – Six people were injured after two shophouse units partially collapsed in Syed Alwi Road following a gas explosion in the early hours of Oct 8.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that they were alerted to the incident at 84 and 85 Syed Alwi Road, which is near Mustafa Centre, at about 1.30am.

The former location houses Paakashala Singapore, a vegetarian Indian restaurant, while the latter, Nirja Mega Mart.

In an update, SCDF said preliminary investigations indicate that a likely build-up of flammable gas within the restaurant led to the blast and partial collapse of both structures. SCDF said no flammable gas readings were detected on site.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said in a Facebook post at around 9.30am that it had been alerted to a suspected gas explosion incident.

The authority said its engineers assessed the structural integrity of the shophouse units and the adjacent buildings.

BCA added: “The rear parts of the two shophouse units have partially collapsed. The front facade and staircase of unit 84 were also damaged by the explosion.

“The other adjacent buildings were not affected by the explosion and are safe.”

BCA issued the owners of the shophouse units two orders – Dangerous Building and Closure – and told them to put in place immediate safety measures to cordon off the two units from public access.

It said the owners must appoint a professional engineer to investigate the incident and recommend permanent rectification measures to be carried out.

SCDF said in the afternoon that resources have returned to their respective fire stations. The incident site has been handed over to BCA to work with owners of both shophouses and their appointed professional engineers.